getting my grandaughter started

My grandaughter is 12 now and its time to get her started shooting. We have a gun that fits her perfectly but now how do I get her going. Shes been practicing mounting the gun and shooting cans. is there a video or book availble to get a new shooter started. Any advice would be helpful thanks Joel

All kinds of books, DVDs, and VHS out there. Get on www.shotgunsportsmagazine.com
Not the absolute best source, but they have over a dozen videos and as many books on the subject of clay shooting.
Most recommended instructor is Phil Kiner

Rule number 3. Success is way more fun than failure. If you can, set up an incoming target that kinda "floats" about 15 feet away from her. Or, on the skeet range, a station 7 high house incomer. Let her bang away at that cupcake incomer until she wants to try something more challenging.

Nothing kills fun like miss after miss. And nothing gets them coming back like broken target after broken target.

1. Check her eye dominance...girls are more apt to be cross dominate. While she may do exactly as you say, she won't hit many targets if the wrong eye is over the barrel.

2. Ditto on Skeet, but I would start her busting Low 7...just touch the bird with barrel and pull the trigger. Then move on to the incomer, High 7. Always finish with a target she can crush a few times in a row.

3. Make it fun, keep it fun.

4. Watch and don't let her get tired...her arms will not be used to holding up a shotgun...shoot a couple and then rest, repeat. Teach good form...if she can not shoot with good form, go fishing or see #5.

5. BB guns are great training tools...check out www.shootwhereyoulook.com this program will turn her into a bb gun monster and get her looking at the target, not the gun. Lotta fun for both of you.

My Granddad taught me to shoot. It has both saved my life and brought me much pleasure in life. I will never forget the time he spent with me, it made a difference. Yours will too!

My daughter is a lot older than your granddaughter, she's 28 now, but last fall for the first time she expressed an interest in shooting at the gun club with me. I started her with a .22 at the rifle range and just let her watch the skeet and trap shooting for the first couple of weeks. This allowed her to get a chance to get comfortable with shooting and some time to learn the rules of trap and skeet.

I didn't make her spend too much time actually shooting, we'd shoot and watch other shooters for about 45 minutes or so and then head up to the clubhouse for a drink or two and some food.

Then I gave her an old single shot shotgun that had been her grandfather's and had her learn to shoot static targets with it at the rifle range. I would put a clay bird on a wooden pole at 25 or 30 yds. out and have her shoot at that until it got to be too easy for her.

After about three weeks or so, I started her on skeet with my old 1100 and kept her pretty much just on stations 1 and 7 until she was hitting them pretty well.

My 1100 didn't fit her too well, but this spring, after I was pretty sure that she wasn't going to quit, I got her a Browning Gold Fusion and had the stock modified to fit her properly.

Although she's not ready to try trap yet, she says that the birds are too far away, she's out with me just about every weekend and really enjoying shooting, even though her scores are only in the mid to high teens, she's slowly and steadily improving.

So I guess my suggestion would be:

1) Let her start slowly and don't make her shoot more than one or two rounds at a time

2) Once you know that she's really interested, get her a gun that fits her

3) Don't worry about her scores and don't let her worry about them either. Try to make the actual shooting just a part of a pleasant morning or day.

4) Enjoy spending your time with her and introducing her to the shooting sports.

My daughter is now 13. I started her at 12 with a 12ga 1100. She is left handed and left eye dominant (thank goodness). First couple of rounds, I noticed that she canted the gun so that the butt would not hit her upper chest. I ordered a Jack West Stock and took it to my local guy, Grady Jones. Had him put a Jones adjustable plate on it and a nice pad. As a 7th grader, she was the 2nd best on her middle school squad out of 17 shooters.

Best thing that you can do is to get a gun that fits her correctly, ensure that she has early success, and crank up the reloader. Soon, she will be outshooting you!